With the weather turning more Spring-like, Little League Baseball games have returned to the playing fields and embedded into the chatter of infielders, the carpool planning of parents shuttling from one field to the next, and the unmistakable sound of groundballs echoing off of bats and thumping into gloves are many business lessons if we know where to look.

Preparation

Perhaps not too dissimilar to many business owners, some Little League Managers envisioned a thriving and successful team that they would be steering toward success through their sheer brilliance, insight, and personal character. Instead, what they inherited is a bunch of enthusiastic players - but many of them needing development in critical areas before the entire team could successfully compete. Furthermore, a good portion of the players may not even truly know the rules of the game or what plays to make under certain circumstances.

Downshifting their more lofty expectations, some of the Managers began to focus more on the fundamentals and truly coaching their players on how to play their positions, how their assignment in the field contributes to the success of the team, and why it is important to be aware of what their teammates are supposed to be doing at any given time so that they can make the right play. Other Managers held rigidly to their original plans and expect their teams to perform at a level for which they are unprepared and ill-suited. Those teams are more easily recognizable

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by the frustrated screams and shouts of a veins-bulging Manager and players that seem tentative and fearful of making mistakes. While unable to perform some of the more basic skills, these teams are also the ones that will be encouraged to try trick plays or attempt more complex executions of plays because the Manager has an expectation of what the team should be doing without really connecting with the talent available to perform.

Frustratingly, some of these same Managers will choose a key point in the game to introduce some play that the team has not practiced and is uncertain of how to perform. As would be expected, some of the players recognize what their role on the new play should be, others are only partially certain, and still others are completely unaware and hoping that they are not to be involved in the execution of the play at all. The parallel to business is uncanny. All too often, business leaders will forget that their organization is only as good as it has been trained and prepared to be prior to having to respond to situations.

Decisiveness of Management

Watching a number of teams play, a clear distinction emerges between the Managers that are prepared for each game - identifiable at minimum by those that have the batting lineup, fielding positions assigned, and substitutions determined prior to the start of the game, and those that make snap decisions between innings as they look at the dugout bench and try to remember which kids have not played and which positions are a fit for that player. While the more prepared Managers may and do make in-game decisions to fit circumstances, they at least have a plan and can communicate to the players prior to the game what will be the expectation for each player.

Some of the Managers are more autocratic in their approach and do not solicit input from the team, and others are closer to being democratic in assigning positions or determining batting order. While each has their pluses and minuses in the success of the team's chances of scoring more runs than the opponent, it sometimes comes at the expense of the enjoyment quotient for the players. The Manager's clear articulation of what the strategy and purpose is behind those actions can clarify for the players what they can expect from the experience. Whether it is to learn skills, enjoy the game, improve performance, win games, or any other outcome, a clear understanding of what is to be accomplished reduces conflict and improves commitment from the players. In business, Managers have to choose whether to be autocratic or democratic in leading their employees, but would be well served to explain the goals, methods, and expected outcomes if they expect to earn the commitment of their work teams.

Watching a weekend's worth of games recently, a glaring difference among Managers emerges and it is not at all related to their knowledge of the game of baseball or even their own skills at playing. Watching some of the Third Base Coaches provide instructions on whether to advance to the next base or even score was a perfect illustration of the impact Management can have on a team's performance. Some coaches were so tentative and unsure, sending runners forward only to then yell at them to reverse and return to the original base, and then changing their mind to have them try for the extra base that a few players made a decision to ignore the coach and advance at their own discretion regardless of what the coach was signaling or saying. Other coaches had the complete trust of their baserunners that the players responded as directed and were willing to try to score or take an additional base even when they themselves would have been more conservative. Similarly, when business owners are uncertain and change directions frequently, the rest of the company becomes uneasy and may choose not to follow the lead or direction being offered.

Employee Involvement

In deference to what must be a mandate from Little League headquarters, nearly every coach uttered at some point that the players should "have fun." The number of coaches really meaning it was far less than those that mouthed the words. The players may have controlled rolling their eyes, but the hollowness of the words was not lost on some of the players. It was clear that one coach in particular had his own version of what that meant when he said, "Have fun .and winning by five runs or more is the most fun we can have!" After the game, as the players from the other team left the field in search of ice cream, the next family event, or to rehash their contribution on the field, this same coach proceeded to lecture his team on all the mistakes they had made that day, how they need to improve because it was a poor reflection on the uniform they were wearing, and how they had all better think seriously about their commitment to the team. That this team had just scored more runs than their opponent did not factor into this coach's assessment. They had clearly lost by the look on the players' faces as they left the field.

The lessons taken from the ball field are very self-evident and transferable to business:

1. In business, we need to practice as we will play. Said another way, we need to prepare for potential outcomes and determine our responses ahead of when we need to implement them.

2. Rather than micro-manage each decision, empower employees with resources, skills, and autonomy to make decisions that will impact their success.

3. Management's role is to provide direction and guidance and not get in the way of employees trying to succeed. As hard as it is for some business owners to relinquish that control, the more employees have a hand in setting performance standards, the better committed they will be to ensuring it happens.

4. Management must develop the trust of employees and not demonstrate inability to make decisions or wavering. Eventually, employees will tune out management and seek their own counsel rather than that of management.

5. Management cannot offer lip-service to values, standards, or other guiding principles and then not live up to them. Transparent and meaningless phrases that are then contradicted by actions ring hollow and are quickly dismissed as untruths.

The Duke of Wellington was quoted as having said, "The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton." I wonder what lessons our current Little Leaguers will take with them into the world of business.

David Zahn is a serial entrepreneur and consultant to Fortune 100 businesses (www.zahnconsulting.com) as well as entrepreneurial startups (www.startupbuilder.com).

The opinions expressed are the author's and not necessarily those of connpost.com. Please direct comments to cdauber@ctpost.com.